


the lucky ones

by orphan_account



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Boarding School AU, F/F, F/M, M/M, a different take on the show, veronica is the new girl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-16 16:02:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17552765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: every now and then, the stars alignboy and girl meet by the great designcould it be that you and me are the lucky ones?xveronica lodge, former nyc it girl fallen from grace rolls up to the most prestigious boarding school in washington as the new mystery everyone wants to unfold. especially, archie andrews...





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone, fallon is back. first things first, i know i’ve taken a really long break and tbh i’m still not super in the right place where i’m passionate about writing yet. but i got talking with some of my varchie friends and i *was* excited to write this. 
> 
> the reason i was on a break was because i felt like i was in a quarter life crisis, lmao. but seriously i just needed to take some time off and go back to the place where i’m writing for me, and because I want to see this story, not for anyone else. 
> 
> that being said i gotta thank yani, milly, makayla and B for the support and help, love you guys ❤️. this is also a belated bday present for my girlies vik, leah and ak who are all varchie legends! 
> 
> enjoy and leave your love.

_wrap me up in Chanel inside my coffin_

_might go to Hell and there ain’t no stopping,_ _might be a sinner and might be a saint_

_I’d like to be proud but somehow I’m ashamed, sweet little baby in a world full of pain_

 

 

 

 

_All Veronica wants is to think about something less painful. Something random, redundant, obscure. But the weight is like boulders on her two shoulders, forcing her to remember, and so is the thick tornado of anger that seems to grow every time her parents shout. Every time they even look at her it grows and grows and suddenly it’s like she can’t think about anything else. Like her whole life has changed to revolve around it._

_  
“So if people want to talk about it then let them! Why can’t we just deal with it? Or tell the truth?” Her shoulders hunch with expression, the undersides of her arms tickled by her own fingertips._

_  
“No no mija” her mother is quick to dispose of the idea. Probably so her father won’t get angrier. “Please don’t argue this anymore. You know how much trouble that would cause”_

_  
“Especially since trouble has a way of following you” he snaps, eyes dark and glowering._

_  
“You would know” she mutters under her breath._

_  
The room erupts in a kind of noise so terrifying her heart races, her father’s fist caving their wall and her mother’s desperate cry. Veronica can’t even cry anymore. She did too much of that last night. Her heart is thundering behind her chest and it begs to erupt. She crosses her arms over her stomach, and her mother’s eyes watch every move before she looks away in an almost disgust. There’s nothing in the world that hurts as much as to be looked at that way, but there’s nothing she can do now._

_  
“Please don’t do this daddy” if begging is deemed desperate, then so be it. That’s what she is right now. “I’ll take responsibility and I’ll tell everyone what really happened”_

_  
“For gods sake Veronica don’t be so stubborn!” Her mother’s refined features, never seen a day of hardship in her high position of society. They crumple in agonising distress at her daughter. “Your father and I are trying to find the best option to keep you out of this”_

_  
“You’re trying to ruin my life!” It hits her then that she should have never told her parents. Maybe just run away one day to Paris and never look back. This was a bad idea._

_  
“Veronica Cecilia Lodge a ver si me bajas ese tonito eh pendeja!”_

_  
“Pero es que mierda papi! How do you expect me to react?! You’re taking everything that I care about away from me!”_

_  
Screaming like that feels cathartic in a way, freeing herself of a bundled knot of terror and stress just for a fleeting second. It doesn’t last long though, and she takes three steps back pressing her back into the glass window, overlooking the East Village beneath them. She never expected something like this to happen in her life, especially not at the age of fifteen. It’s like jumping off a helicopter or when she bungee jumped in Switzerland. The adrenaline bleeds off your body and it shivers until you’re cold, toes numb and fingers shaky. The air is tight in your lungs and it’s burning all over, you’re breathing, but just barely._

_  
“I’m not going to let my fifteen year old daughter ruin everything I’ve worked so hard to build. You’re going to that boarding school in Washington, and this is final.”_

_  
He shuts the door behind him with a meaningful slam and from that moment on, her entire world was rocked upside down._

 

x:x

 

 

The sky is grey in Hawthrone, where she landed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just three hours ago. Her driver tells her something about it always being this grey here, and how she should get used to it. She supposes there’s a lot she has to get used to. Veronica has seen a lot the town whizz by from where she’s seated the past hours. The centre of the city, dominated by sky scrapers that are breathtaking, the countless abundant parks and neighbourhoods offering a great prospect of the city.

  
They’re finally closing in to the campus grounds now, she can tell by the _Welcome to UCA_ region sign a few miles back, and the roads start narrowing down. She only realises how irritated she is when a pang of fresh nerves hit her for the first time.

  
“Please, turn the radio down or change it to something else.”

 

“Your parents told me you like listening to the news, Miss Veronica-“

  
“I said turn it off, didn’t I?” She snapped irritably.

 

Veronica bites her lip as the scene of boarding school becomes realer in her eyes, when she sees students clambering around in uniforms that look rather dashing if she’d admit, in the gravely path they’re driving through. There’s tall, oak wood trees and a calm smile on the students’ faces, but she realises its not ones she’ll be schooling with. Male students. Squinting a bit closer, she can see one of them laughing and loosening his tie, his green eyes striking enough that they shine from where he’s standing. The boy, tall and handsome in a classic way, is talking to his friend who looks happy and interested. He’s decent looking too.

  
_Foxcroft Academy_ sign comes into view and Veronica leans back, exhaling through her nose. She doesn’t want or need to get interested in any of the boys at the connection school anyway, not after she vowed off boyfriends. The car circles around a big water fountain that is the centre of the campus, and she’s met with acres and acres of neatly trimmed grass and girls clad in their grey skirts and jackets walking the pathway. It all feels very unreal, like something out of the Malory Towers novels she used to read as a girl.

 

“Miss Veronica, welcome to Upper Columbia Academy” her designated driver quickly rushes out to open her door, and she’s completely collected as she steps one Louboutin heel onto the ground outside. She adjusts her sunglasses, even with the overcast day, and presses her dark lips together before stepping out completely.

  
UCA, home of upper middle class offspring and snooty goody two shoes, is a lot bigger than her old school in New York. There’s a huge building before her that looks like it was built before 1989 for sure, and the absence of security guards and metal detectors almost confuses her.

  
She’s aware of all the heads that turn and the pairs of eyes that are stuck on her, raven hair and shiny olive legs mostly covered by a brand new Chanel dress. Some of them look young and are admiring, others are amused and she spots a few with the familiar jealous glint in their eyes. She takes a moment to assess the sumptuous setting before she’s distracted by a blonde girl who jumps in front of her. Her eyes are brighter than the sky and her flaxen hair is pulled up into a tight ponytail, hands clasped behind her with a broad, excited smile on her face.

  
“Hi! I’m Elizabeth Cooper, but you can call me Betty. You must be Veronica Lodge” the blonde greets.

  
“That’s what they’re saying?” Veronica shakes Betty’s hand courteously, looking her up and down with appreciation. She seems nice, so far.

  
“I’m your peer mentor today, and well- as long as you need me” she smiles and holds out her hand, which Veronica ignores but starts warily. “They’ll have your bags put in our dorm room, no worries. Yes, we’re roomies. And we should make it back there before assembly begins so you can change, the uniform is on your bed already.”

  
“Not a lot must happen around here” Veronica notes. She takes a look at the six suitcases she’d brought, not too happy to be parting with them to god knows where.

  
Betty giggles and takes Veronica’s hand this time, not waiting for the other girl to respond. Up close, she can see that Betty has the end of the long sleeves of her white shirt folded up over her grey blazer, pinned there with bright pink and gold studs that make a statement. She has a rhinestone choker on her neck, and the tiny edges of a lace camisole is visible where she leaves the first three buttons of her shirt unbuttoned. Veronica can appreciate someone who adds a little style to the plain uniform.

  
“No, and just an _fyi_ , everyone _will_ stare today.” Betty says to her, while the stares follow both girls walking up the steps. “Veronica Lodge showing up here for junior year is something of a novelty”

  
“So you know who I am?”

  
“Doesn’t everybody?” The blonde replied casually. She half hugs a girl with glossy raven hair as they pass in the hallway, and a lot more people stop and say hello to her which she answers with a breezy confidence.

  
She gives Veronica a general tour of the main study building, pointing into the direction of classes and their different halls and facilities. She mentions that they’ll have to get to the rest of it, the dormitories and outside campus, later as they pass a brass knobbed door and stops. “This” she lightly taps the door, “is Principal Covington’s office. She asked me to have you meet her before you head to our dorm.”

  
Veronica feels a little emptiness when Betty lets go of her hand, which she’d been holding this whole time as she takes a slow look at the door. “Should I be scared?”

  
“She won’t be thrilled about your outfit” Betty surveys Veronica’s tight fitting dress that shows off her curvaceous hips and small waist, and the black faux fur jacket she’s donning. “But just between us, _I_ love it!”

  
That makes Veronica grin. “Okay, blondie. Don’t wander off”

 

 

 

 

 

  
x:x

 

 

 

 

 

  
“You asked to be here?”

  
A woman sitting behind an antique writing desk has her head of immaculately coiffed hair bowed down at whatever she’s working on. She looks up at the sound of Veronica’s voice, to see a tiny girl, dressed à la mode standing in the middle of her office. It takes her a moment to understand the situation.

  
“You must be Veronica” she says, lips tight “Come back in after you’ve knocked on the door”

  
“But- Betty told me you asked me to meet you” she cranes her neck towards the direction of the door.

  
Principal Covington takes her reading glasses off and sets them down, smiling shortly. “Perhaps I should remind Elizabeth to add etiquette when she gives her tours. Now, knock and wait for me to let you in.”

  
Veronica pauses for a second before briskly walking out the office and closing the door. She looks around and spots Betty talking to some girls against the lockers, laughing and showing each other something on their phones. She takes a breath and knocks loudly for good measure.

  
“Come in”

  
She fights back the urge to roll her eyes while walking in again. Principal Covington is a petite lady with pale skin and dark features, a quizzical look in her sharp brow that must make the students clam up and cower. She tells Veronica to take a seat, eyeing her keenly.

 

“How do you like Upper Columbia Academy so far?” Her voice is gentle but strong.

  
Veronica shrugs. “Not much more than when I saw the website online. I’m sure you know that my parents were the ones that wanted me here, I had no say in the matter. As I don’t in most things.”

 

“Yes, I’m aware of that fact.. but I’m sure that there will be something in this school that catches your attention, maybe even enough to love it.”

  
“Ha, I doubt that” she crosses her arms out of natural reflex. If her parents want to ship her to the other side of the country out of shame and their image makeover bullshit, they’ll have to know that there isn’t a way Veronica is going to actually like it. She liked driving to school every morning just to show off her car. She liked getting Serendipity’s with the girls on her cheer squad after practice, she liked sneaking into clubs with her friends and high tea on Sunday with her family, her bedroom with the Central Park view. They don’t even have a cheerleading squad here.

 

“Now don’t be so sure, Veronica.” The name on the desk reads Alexis Covington, and Veronica focuses on it instead of her motherly face. “The girls here are lovely. I’m sure you’ll make some friends. We encourage all students to participate in as many clubs and sport teams as they want, and we do have a plethora of them. I’m sure there has to be one that’ll catch your eye.”

  
“The only sport I did in Spence was cheerleading, and I already looked it up, you don’t have one of those here” she replies completely unrepentantly.

  
“Your parents did mention how talented you are. You also play piano, don’t you?”

  
Her jaw tightens then. She used to. _Played_. “It was a childhood thing.”

  
“Well we have an orchestra room by the dinner halls, and a grand piano in the music room as well. You should ask Elizabeth to show you where that is. And keep in mind, Veronica, we don’t always choose the things we love. Sometimes it can come without us expecting it, at times even in the place we don’t want to find it.”

  
Veronica looks a little uncertainly at the older woman. _what the fuck?_ “Is there anything else you wanted to tell me? Betty says we have to change before assembly and I wanna make sure my bags don’t have scratches on them when they get to my room”

  
“Please try to adjust yourself as best as you can, Veronica. And take what I said into consideration. It could really help you cope”

  
“Fine. Can I go, _now_?” She’s becoming fidgety and the solemn way this woman looks at her makes her feel uncomfortable wondering how much she knows about her. Did her parents tell Principal Covington everything? How much detail did they go into?

  
She does one more once over of the teenage girl, and surprisingly doesn’t say anything about her outfit. “Yes, Miss Lodge. Give Elizabeth my thanks.”

 

 

 

 

 

  
x:x

 

 

 

 

  
“How did it go?” Betty’s sunny demeanour is comforting to go back to after that nerving meeting. She has her hands in her pockets, hiding the rings on her fingers that Veronica noticed when her hand was in hers.

  
“She’s definitely weird. Are all the teachers like that?”

  
“Do you want me to answer that?”

  
Veronica laughs as she starts walking in the direction that Betty is leading her. She likes all the attention that she gets just from walking into a room. Veronica is indisputably one of the most popular girls in New York and her family is influential enough that the fame spreads even all the way to Washington. She’s always had a reputation for being pretty, for being good in school and quite a party animal, but it never occurred to her until now that everyone here knows who she is.

  
“Come on, let’s meet our other roomies.”

 

 

 

The dormitories have dimly lit hallways, a lounge for every floor and a stairwell that looks like it was made before safety precautions were a thing. It’s clean though, and she sees girls chilling in the lounge on their phones while Betty takes her to 3B. From the outside of what’s presumably their door, from the way Betty smiles meaningfully at it, she hears noises.

 

“Are you sure these boots don’t look too trendy for assembly?”

  
“You’re asking me?” Another voice replies, just as loud and half as enthusiastic. “You know me. I’ve worn the same boots since freshman year. They’re getting snug”

  
“I’ll go shopping with you!” The first girl gushes, just as Betty opens their door to reveal the faces behind both voices.

  
Veronica assesses the people in front of her before looking around the room. It’s fairly spacious, with four beds facing each other and a set or drawers next to each. There’s one big wardrobe in the middle and two study desks in the corner already cluttered with things, and that’s about it.

  
Both girls whip around when they hear the door open. One with long, sleek raven hair, the same girl Betty had hugged in the hallway earlier. She in fact was wearing some very eccentric knee high boots, arguing with the smaller girl. Light brown hair, big hazel eyes that glowed against her olive skin.

  
“Oh my gosh, it’s you! Betty wasn’t kidding!” The first girl runs up to Veronica. She has an undying energy, even more cheerful than Betty. “Hi, I’m Sheila Wu. Betty said that you’d be rooming with us after the last girl graduated, but I didn’t believe her!”

  
Sheila was met with a blank stare. “Oh.”

  
“I know you probably hear this a lot, but I am a huge fan of your family. Your dad’s running an empire, your mom is so gorgeous and nice and you’re practically a fashion mogul. I even bought the bag Marc Jacobs named after you.”

  
“You have nice style too” Veronica smiles tightly, half amused and half annoyed.

  
“Thank you!”

  
“And I’m Toni, Topaz. Not as versed in the Lodge family Wikipedia, but its nice to meet you”

  
“Topaz like the purple gemstone. Love it” Veronica grinned brilliantly, and the two girls beamed at her.

 

  
Betty tells the girls to give Veronica space so she can start settling in as much as possible and change before assembly, which they decide to hang around and help her instead. There’s no way all six of her suitcases can stay in the dorm room, so Sheila says they might send it back. UCA’s day uniform is ugly. She doesn’t know any way else to put it, it’s plain and almost as missable in a crowd as wearing a hoodie and sweats. They have two options, grey like ones Betty and Sheila are wearing, but Veronica decides to go with the dark blue instead.

  
She takes a moment in their shared bathroom to reapply her makeup, a tear or so escaping when she’s struggling but it’s really just the layered tension and anger that’s been piling on her ever since leaving home. She wonders what her parents are doing. She wonders what her friends think happened, or what her parents _told_ them, what they made them believe. She puts copious amounts of mascara and more concealer on her under eyes to conceal the drained sunken look, and a bold red lip.

  
She’s not sure how to style herself. This is all too sudden. It’s just now now hitting her how far away she is, not a soul that she knows around, and she can’t think properly. Veronica hastily grabs the plaid skirt and pulls it on. Her best Victoria’s Secret that isn’t exactly a push up but it definitely adds a vision, leaving three buttons on her white shirt undone and tucking it in with a big gold belt around her waist.

  
“Veronica! Come on, we’re about to be late” Betty’s voice comes from behind the door, a light rep of her knuckles on the wood.

  
“Just a sec!” Veronica shouts back. She brushes her loose curls out and adds one of her favourite black headbands, deciding to go with heels instead of boots since it would take too much time, and it shows off her toned legs sunkissed from summer. She fishes for her jewellery box and layers a couple chains, necklaces and the ring her abuelita gave her on her birthday this year.

  
Veronica stares at herself in the mirror for one last second, she leaves the school jacket and finally opens the door.

  
“Ta-da. What do you think? Am I upholding my reputation even in these period pieces?”

  
Betty’s more than amazed, her jaw dropped. Sheila squeals and claps her hands. “It’s going to be so fun having you as a roommate!”

  
“Okay, you look hot, but I think you should at least wear the blazer or you might freeze your ass off.” Betty tells her, picking up the dark blue blazer and forcing Veronica to shrug into it. “Now let’s go!”

 

 

A part of her feels empowered, strutting, almost running down the hallway next to the other girls in her new outfit. Maybe it’s the attention that follows her, or the confidence she’s always worn on her sleeve, but something about fitting in while still standing out is thrilling and she likes it. For the first time she feels the trip of thrill run through her veins like electricity.

 

 

 

 

 

x:x

 

 

 

 

  
Assembly is expectedly boring. For the other students at least, who have been through Principal Covington’s droning speeches more times than needed in a lifetime. Veronica thinks there’s something about that woman, Toni and Sheila might joke that she gets too philosophical at times but she actually thinks there’s some meaning behind her words.

  
The three of them sit at the second row, behind a line of prefects that include Betty. When they’re dismissed everyone stands up immediately and Betty reaches behind to grab her hand. Veronica tries to take a look around at the other students, the boys of Foxcroft are sitting on the other side of the shared hall but it’s such a havoc of people talking and walking in groups that she doesn’t get to see much. All she gets to confirm is what she knew to begin with, the boys look exceptionally dashing in their uniforms.

  
“Girls!” The high pitched sound of a girl’s voice has Veronica turning her head in the direction, raven hair fanning around her. She’s met with the sight of one of the most stunning girls she’s ever seen, bright red hair and porcelain skin that looks icy against her navy blue uniform.

  
Betty is the first to respond. “Hey, cousin” the blonde reaches for a hug, but the girl in subject barely reciprocates because her eyes on Veronica. Betty almost stifles a laugh.

  
“Veronica Lodge, I’ve been hearing about you” the red headed girl says, assessing her coolly.

  
“I haven’t heard about you” Veronica replies with a small smile.

  
“Right. I’m Cheryl, Cheryl Blossom.” She casts her chocolate brown eyes around the hall, at everyone dispersing before continuing. “My parents own the biggest maple syrup company, the one that’s sweeter than sugar. I’m cousins with your new friend Betts”

  
Veronica is momentarily surprised, Betty nods apprehensively confirming the statement and Sheila mutters under her breath “also a full time snobby bitch” which Veronica doesn’t do a good job of hiding her laugh at.

  
Cheryl flips her long hair and shoots a glare in Sheila’s direction, rolling her eyes dramatically before she turns to Toni. “Topaz” she nods curtly.

  
“Blossom”

 

“Well then” Betty can’t stand the awkwardness from the group, making way for them to leave. “Let’s turn in our phones and head to the courtyard for lunch, shall we?”

  
“Wait- turn in our phones?”

  
“Ugh, yes. We only get them during free periods and after study hours. Kept with Vice Principal Flemming.” Toni tells Veronica almost disgustedly. “Here she is now”

  
As students exit the hall a woman that Veronica suspects is Vice Principal Flemming has her box of phones that they slip into personalised phone sleeves before dropping them in, for safety purposes. “Phones, ladies?” The older woman asks, gathering all their devices and then stopping at Veronica. “You can get one of your own later. For now, hand the phone over”

  
She suddenly feels a tight flash of defensiveness in her body and wants to hold on to the little thing as tight as possible. Its currently just in the pocket of her blazer, but you wouldn’t be able to guess, so she considers lying and wonders if they’ll buy it. She’s not exactly a phone addict either, but right now it feels like a lifeline to the rest of her world back in New York. The naive, stupid part of her is still holding on to a hope that maybe her mother will call and ask how it’s all going. Or maybe her abuelita would worry enough to learn how to work her smart phone. Or one of her supposed best friends, or even Smithers. But it’s been hours and no one has called. No one cares.

  
“Don’t worry darling, you’ll get it back at the end of the day” Mrs Flemming tells her as she passes it over hesitantly. The other girls watch her like she’s trying to figure out a pipe bomb.

 

“I’m so nervous about biology this year” Sheila winces as they start walking. “I have Harrison and I know she’s never going to give us a break.”

  
“Just don’t be an idiot and do your homework” Toni says with impatient affection. “Are you worried about any of your classes Veronica?”

 

“I know there’s gonna be lots of work. But I guess we’ll have a lot of time to do it being cooped up in the dorm all day and night” she answers with a small sigh. Veronica was the best in her class last year, and she still had lots of fun with her friends, dating and going to parties, even with the load of cheerleading. She’s pretty confident with herself and she’s always been good at adapting in new situations, although she briefly crosses her fingers hoping nothing terrible goes wrong.

 

“Um, don’t turn around or anything, but someone’s looking at you” Cheryl looks scandalised with her sly grin. “I think we’ll have to introduce new girl to the likes of Chuck Clayton, Betts. Cos he’s looking at her like he’s just got eyes”

 

Veronica stops and turns her head around in confusion. “What?”

  
“Oh gosh” Betty laughs. “Let’s go to lunch, we’ll meet some people.” The five girls turn and begin walking out towards the courtyard.

 

 

 

 

 

  
x:x

 

 

 

 

 

  
The other girls wander off somewhere on their way to the courtyard, promising to meet back at “our table”. Veronica follows Betty along and pretends to act casual with everyone turning their heads at them whenever they turn a corner. The courtyard is quite a walk away and Betty says it’s because they share it with Foxcroft, but they’ll need to get their lunch from the cafeteria.

 

“Let’s meet some people first, okay? I kind of promised” the blue eyed girl looks at her with a cheeky grin.

 

Veronica raises her eyebrow.

 

“ _Hey guys_!” Betty sing songs as they approach a table on the courtyard, multiple heads turning to see who it is. She stops at the head of their table and plants her palms flat on it, leaning forward a little. Veronica has to laugh, every boy at the table looks lost in the vision of her girlish beauty. But then they turn their eyes on her and a rush of pride and excitement seeps through her because they look absolutely beguiled. “How are you doing on the first day back?”

 

“Great” one of them replies almost instantly. His eyes flashing between both girls, but he’s looking at Betty with a lot of meaning. “Amazing”

  
She catches Betty biting her bottom lip and throws him a playful smile, sighing softly. “That’s good, Reggie. I’m sure you all know Veronica, but she’s new here.”

 

“Chuck Clayton” the tall, dashingly handsome boy stands up and makes his way across the table, leaning against it to have a closer look at Veronica. She can’t deny he’s attractive, like really attractive. She wouldn’t mind messing with that. so he was the one looking at her. “I saw you at the assembly, but it looked like Cheryl got to you first.”

 

“She sure did” Veronica throws her head back and laughs, remembering the eagerness in Cheryl’s tone. And then adds not so subtly, “But it’s not too late yet.”

 

Chuck smirks at her and she has a feeling that something is coming their way. Chuck introduces his three friends at the table; Reggie, Moose and Fangs. They’re all gentlemen and greet her, asking about her day and the trip from New York. Moose and Fangs are sitting next to each other, and Reggie with the killer jaw is the one that’s been tracing one of Betty’s hands on the table with his finger subtly. She pretends to ignore it.

  
“Hey- where’s Archie?” Betty looks to Chuck for an answer who chuckles lowly.

  
“Off writing his melodramatic ballads no doubt” He turns back to Veronica quickly, eyes sharp. “So did Cooper tell you about the back to school dance? Foxcroft and UCA.”

  
“No, she didn’t” Veronica can tell from the spark in his eyes when she says it what he’s meaning to ask, and part of her feels excited while the other is afraid. There’s nothing wrong with having fun, but if he’s the type that’s looking for a girl to go serious with, its just not her... she’s not sure he is that type though.

 

She’s about to ask Chuck to tell her more about this back to school dance when they’re interrupted by Moose, the big brawny one she notes, calls out to a blond guy passing their way.

  
“Yo! Adam, over here!”

  
Betty’s hand disappears under the table to grab Veronica’s and her eyes shoot to Reggie’s before turning around. “Look we’ll see you guys later okay? V and I are gonna catch up with the girls.” Chuck furrows his brows at her. “Tell Archie to look for me during free period.”

  
Adam slows his pace when he sees both girls at the table, Veronica doesn’t know what it is but Betty is forcing a smile and pulling her away.

  
“Bye!” Veronica waves one last time and blows them a kiss, teasingly.

  
“Bye Veronica” Reggie waves back curtly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What was that about?” Veronica asks, once they’re a little distance away. There’s students sitting in groups at the tables around them, some chilling under shady trees, and the occasional lone wolf. Her legs shiver a little when a gush of cold wind passes them by.

 

“Things with that guy, Adam, are awkward right now and I don’t really wanna deal with it.” She says simply. “So, I should probably include some social rankings as part of your tour. Cheryl and I sit at the table near the cafeteria, with our friends. That’s where you should too. The boys we met are on the lacrosse team. The hangers on have lunch on the grass, and they usually attack new kids, but you’re already trending number one so-“

  
“-Thank you Betty” Veronica interrupts quickly. “For all this. But you don’t need to take me under your wing. Trust me, I can find my own friends”

  
“Oh! No, no of course not. I wasn’t trying to at all”

  
Veronica smiles, pleased with herself. She has to make sure everyone here knows they don’t need to do anything out of pity, and she most certainly isn’t going to hang with a crowd that’s only sticking to her for the sake of her last name. She did that back at Spence, and it didn’t turn out good, at least not in the long run. There’s a lot of things she’s going to do differently here.

  
“I saw your schedule. You’re in AP Lit, I am too. And so is my friend.” Betty tells her, making another circle that’s out of way to their table.

  
“If you’re asking me to guess it’ll be a tough shot, I think you’re friends with everyone.”

  
Betty giggles, turning her attention back to the smaller lunch table that’s located at the far end of the courtyard, a boy sitting alone with his head hunched down. He’s typing at something on his laptop and there’s two burger wrappers next to it, Veronica wonders what Betty is doing interrupting his alone time.

  
“Juggie!”

  
The boy looks up, and it’s only then that Veronica notices the oddly shaped hat he’s donning. It hides most of his curly, dark hair, but an escaped curl enhancing the colour of his blue eyes. “What are you working on?” Betty asks without failure.

  
“My novel. I can show you what I wrote this summer, just save the spot at the back of Tabronelli’s class.” Veronica notices he hasn’t even looked at her, speaking fixedly to Betty, and it’s amusing as she also finds it infuriating.

  
“Cool! Hey meet my new friend, Jug” Betty introduces, pulling Veronica in closer. It’s only then that he casts his eyes to the raven haired girl, and they fall for one second before he mumbles his social cues.

 

“Veronica Lodge” she clears her throat, holding out a hand. She didn’t shake hands with Reggie or Chuck or Moose, but the guy in front of her looks so awkward and shrivelled that she’s just trying to make anything happen.

  
He takes a look at her, the tall posture, the pearls on her neck, and she knows he recognises the last name, thinking _this girl is snobby as hell._ “Jughead Jones. The Third” he says then, ignoring her outstretched hand and taking another bite of what appears to be his third burger.

  
“Jughead Jones The Third?” She’s never heard a name quite so odd in her whole eccentric life.

  
“That’s what I said” Jughead quipped, sounding awed.

  
Veronica’s face furrowed into a scowl, one that Betty almost laughs at. “Well- we should probably get going. I’ll save us the seat, Jug” her voice is soft and she doesn’t wink or grin at him while they walk away, just a simple smile, one that reaches her eyes, and an innocent wave at his direction.

  
“I’ll wait for you” he tells her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
By the time they finally make it to their table, Cheryl is waving energetically over her still full tray of food. She’s already seated, a girl who Veronica hasn’t met yet on one side and empty spaces on the next bench, she beckons them over. Veronica has taken Betty’s advice to skip the hot lunch in favour of some gourmet sandwich and a yogurt and juice, sitting down beside the blonde with a quiet sigh. She’s having a hard time differenciating everyone in the crowd, but she’s almost sure it’s that same boy with the glassy blue eyes and innocence that she saw in the car, make his way over to their table. He’s smiling at the group with bright eyes.

  
“Have you had a good day?” He asks “Met a lot of people? I’m Kevin Keller. The pleasure is mine, trust me”

  
“You already know who I am, I guess we’re best friends now” Veronica laughs a little. She can already tell from the energy Kevin gives off that he’s the type of person she’ll like to be friends with.

  
“It’s so great to finally meet you” Kevin says. Veronica nods as he walks next to her and takes a seat. Kevin is incredibly tall, he towered over Veronica’s tiny frame. Kevin has big blue eyes and dark hair that’s nicely cut and styled.

  
“Aren’t you hungry?” Betty looks directly at her cousin, and the still unopened sandwich on her tray. “There’s greek salad too if you want it. And we can always buy something from the vendi if you don’t feel like eating this.”

  
“I’m just not that hungry. Can you drop it?” The red head responds.

  
“Yeah. I’m just saying you need to have energy, it’s the first day of school Cher. You have to eat something”

  
_She’s very protective of Cheryl,_ Veronica notices.

  
They introduce Veronica to the girl on Cheryl’s left, Josie McCoy. Josie sings and she also plays instruments, something Veronica is immediately interested in. Josie’s mother is also Washington State Senate, and while she doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps, having that background gives her an unwavering drive for success. Veronica knew a lot of important townsmen’s kids back in New York, and they’re usually snobby and shallow in comparison.

  
Josie is wise beyond her years, and carries herself with an air that could come off as intimidating. She has dark curly hair and doll like eyes, smells of Dior perfume, and wears multiple badges on her school blazer. Even the way she stood commended attention, probably good for stage presence. Veronica assumes she must have inherited that from her mother too.

  
“You guys are boring” Kevin deadpans. “Can we talk about something else?”

  
Josie rolls her eyes. “Let me guess, you have some hot new gossip to tell us? Because there’s much more to life than mindlessly gossiping Kev.”

  
“We need to fill new girl in on the trends here” Kevin says. He opens the water bottle on his tray and takes a gulp.

  
Josie chuckles. “Good luck. The students provide _endless_ gossip material.”

  
“Any questions about anything so far?” Betty asks.

  
“Well, is that guy.. Reggie, your boyfriend?” Veronica wonders aloud. She saw the blatant way they were checking each other out, but they weren’t acting too much like an official couple.

  
Betty shook her head nonchalantly, but the others almost spit out their food before laughing. Veronica turns to Betty. “You sure?”

  
“Of course I am. We’re just having fun”

  
“ _Fun_ ” Kevin rolls his eyes insinuatingly.

  
“I don’t want to her a word from you, mister. Remember that I still own you for another week.”

  
“Wait- why?” Cheryl asks.

  
“I caught him making out with Moose in the broom closet at Chapel.” Betty leans over the table excitedly. “And as a deal to keep my lips sealed, he agreed to be at my beck and call for about a month.”

  
“Totally unfair deal” Kevin adds in, but he’s smiling at the memory. “As if everyone doesn’t know about you and Reggie in the gazebo and in the locker room after the game last year, and I’ve yet to tell anyone how you and Adam hooked up at Archie’s birthday party this summer..”

  
“Oh my god!” Half mortified and half intrigued Cheryl slams her hands down on the table. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  
“It wasn’t a big deal” Betty whines.

  
“Well it may not be a big deal to you Betty but that was the look of a boy all whipped, as well as I know one” Veronica almost giggles. She’s starting to learn a lot more of her schoolmates.

  
“Oh I don’t know!” Betty snaps. “I’m definitely not hooking up with Adam again though. I am purging all the crazy shit I did this summer from my life, it wasn’t me at all.”

  
“Fine Betts.”

  
Cheryl aimlessly picks the crust off her sandwich, not letting anyone notice her doing it. She keeps her gaze low and spots a silvery jewel on Veronica’s hand when it catches the light. It’s a diamond ring, silver, princess cut. It looked even more expensive than the other pieces of jewellery she was sporting. “Nice ring. Did a lover back in the big apple get it for you?”

  
“No way.” Veronica says briefly before repeating what she’s been telling herself for about a year. “I don’t really do dating.”

  
“Why? What happened? Does it have something to do with why you moved here?” Kevin blurts.

 

Veronica squints her eyes at him sharply. “I don’t remember signing a contract that said I have to report anything to you. You guys are trying to be welcoming and I’m being polite, in what world does that mean that you have the right to know anything about my personal life?”

  
She hadn’t planned that little speech, and the bite of bitterness slips out of her before she can stop it. Betty, who notices every little nuance of speech and flash of expression, looks at Veronica with a little sympathetic interest.

To try and ease the awkwardness to something easier, her other hand comes around to play with the ring on her finger a little anxiously. “My abuelita got it for my birthday this year. My parents nearly didn’t let me bring it to Washington, but I told them there was no way I’d leave New York without it.”

  
“It’s gorgeous” Josie says smoothly, taking a closer look at the ring on Veronica’s slender hand. Everyone nods, desperate to change the subject. “So, the news of Moose and Midge’s one millionth breakup has spread around Foxcroft and UCA.”

  
“Moose, as in the Moose Kevin made out with?” Veronica confirms, her face perking up. She wouldn’t have guessed the shy looking boy she just met previously would be holding this kind of scandal. _Well, everyone has a secret life other people don’t know about._

  
“The circle we run in is small, Lodge” Cheryl says with a smirk. “And no one is who everyone thinks they are. Want to know some more crazy things about this place?”

  
“Hit me.” Veronica nodded.

  
“The sweetheart Midge cheated on Moose with Fangs Fogarty. Moose’s dad is like, super aggressive and he would totally be against his son dating a guy, even though everyone knows he’s gay. Or at least bi. And Midge has been his girlfriend since we were like, twelve. So can you blame them?”

  
“That’s.. overwhelming” Veronica widens her eyes, and Betty stifles a giggle.

  
“Enough of Kevin related gossip” the green eyed boy says flippantly, looking straight at Betty Cooper. “ _I_ heard that Reggie Mantle slept with that hot sophomore, Nancy Woods.”

  
Betty raises her eyebrows mischievously. “She’s a virgin. Reggie wouldn’t know what to do with her, first base isn’t fun when you’ve already hit the home run.”

  
“How cute” Cheryl rolls her eyes. “I also heard that Miss Josie McCoy has been flinging all summer with Sweet Pea after he went into your dad’s guitar store in Alexandria. Are you guys dating or not?”

  
Josie laughed at that. “Please. The only time we spent together that wasn’t hooking up was when we ran into each other at the beach and decided to cycle together for fun. I would die before I got involved with someone as careless and impetuous as Kenneth Sweeney. Who even told you that?”

  
“Ethel Muggs. She’s been bored of her good girl life all summer and is basically spewing tales online about all of us. I even saw her say that you had sex with one of your best friend’s boyfriends back in New York and had to run away because you couldn’t deal with it.”

  
Veronica’s eyes narrow. “Muggs? Well, she has some gall to spread ugly rumours about me, when I’ve never heard her name which means she probably means nothing to anybody in the real world.”

  
“True.” Kevin says. “I never paid too much attention to her before, but the girl really thinks she’s made herself some kind of empire putting out fake stories.”

  
“I have Math with her, and so do you” Betty announces. “Just a warning, she’ll probably try and talk to you and she can be really fucking aggressive.”

  
The others look a little intimidated but Veronica simply throws her hair back. “Good. If she tries something again I’ll deal with her.”

  
Betty shakes her head. “Please, Veronica it’s not worth it. The psycho bitch isn’t even a worthy adversary. You two aren’t equally yoked.”

  
“I’m just sick of everyone making assumptions about me and my life, and thinking they have a right to that. I had enough of that bullshit back in New York, so here it’s going to be different. Anyone that dares cross me in any way should know what I’m made of soon enough.”

  
“Well you’d be playing a chess game with yourself” Betty states plainly.

  
Chess is one of The Lodge’s favourite family activities, both literally and figuratively. Veronica almost keels at the irony. “If I’m the only one playing then I’m guaranteed to win, aren’t I?”

  
“Your deviousness amazes me” Kevin states slowly. “I don’t know if I should be terrified or amazed.”

  
Veronica smirks at her new friend. “Both.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! I’m so flattered with all the support and feedback that I got from chapter 1! It’s been amazing and fun to write this, but even much more to share this with you all. 
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter 2 is going to be a tad bit heavier, also more centred on our favourite boy Archie! 
> 
> Once again thanks to yani & milly for the ideas they shared with me for this chapter and this fic in general. Love you girls. BIG THANKS to leah, emily, vik, AK, gabbi, tiff, lizzie, ori and milly for the FABULOUS reviews. This is for you guys, all my love. —x

 

 

_don’t get too close, it’s dark inside_

_it’s where my demons hide_

 

 

 

 

 

  
Archie can hear the noise of kids from the courtyard all the way to his empty dorm room, the thin walls and their obnoxiously loud voices contribute to that. Sometimes, he doesn’t mind the noise because it’s comforting. But right now he does, when it’s the first day back at school, less than a week to the homecoming dance and he’s yet to finish the song that he’s supposed to be performing.

  
He wrote a lot of it this summer, but also spent most of it trying to have a normal vacation between all the madness. Even with the built in heater, Washington’s chilly morning air is biting, and Archie has one of the sweaters his mother bought him over his uniform. It’s a little stuffy, but it feels comforting as he strums the strings between his fingers and sings softly, music sheets aligned next to the lyrics propped on the pillows of his bed, a ray of sunshine bleeding through the glass window illuminating his face as he focuses.

  
“will you call to tell me you’re alright.. cause I worry about you the whole night”

  
The melody sounds perfect, just the way he wants it too, but the next moment there’s some boisterous laughter from behind the door and his roommate barges in, banging the wall in a reckless manner and surprising Archie out of his state of trance so much he almost jumps.

  
“Andrews! What the _hell_ have you been doing up here, man? It’s the first day back and the chicks were there, dude this one girl.. Veronica. The one from New York? The transfer student? She is like.. the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. And here’s your sweet potato burrito by the way, like you asked.”

  
“Thanks” Archie nods, catching the paper bag. He’d already told the boys about missing their lunch period today, absolutely needing to finish this song before Wednesday at least. And Chuck, being the good friend that he is came bearing a takeaway lunch.

  
“Hey what’s up with Mantle and that Adam kid, anyway? He and the blonde prodigy looked like they wanted the earth to swallow them when he came to our table. Did they do something to the kid? Or.. in front of him?”

  
Archie lets out a breath through his nose. Chuck Clayton is certainly a fun person to be around, he’s a good co captain and a dependable roommate, but the guy has his downsides too. The shallow, careless downsides. Chuck flops down on his bed while reaching for some books, loosening his tie with the other hand.

  
“Who knows what Reggie and Betty get up to.” He answers simply.

  
“True” Chuck says, half smiling. “But maybe I should ask Veronica to the dance. She seemed interested, maybe she wants to”

  
Archie’s brows furrow. _Wants to what?_ But with Chuck, he can guess what it is and would rather not ask. “Who is this again?”

  
“You know, the one Cooper has been talking about. The girl she’s rooming with.”

  
“Uh-uh”

  
Archie can’t remember for the life of him when Betty talks about some new people, because she always talks about people, people she’s met, people she’s friends with and not friends with and her endless string of dates and flirts. He’s bad at names too, this one completely misses him.

  
“The _Lodge_ girl.”

  
“Oh.” Well that makes sense then, why Chuck is so excited about her. He’s never met or seen The Lodges only daughter but his dad does know Hiram Lodge distantly, and he’s a powerful man, so his daughter must be too. Archie remembers talking with Betty briefly about this on her parents swing in her backyard this summer, they had wondered why she would leave a perfect life to come be in a boarding school at Washington. He thinks about asking Chuck about that, but then the bell is ringing and they start scurrying around to get to class.

  
“Where the hell is my binder? I swear we should have cleaned this place up before summer” Chuck curses. Archie kind of wishes they did to, having the privilege of a bigger room with only one roommate would’ve been great had it not been with the two messiest people in the entirety of Foxcroft.

  
Archie shoves the rest of his burrito in his book bag to sneak at during a boring class, and throws off his sweater to shrug into the navy blue blazer.

  
“I’m off” Archie announces as he grabs his shoes from the pile underneath his bed and backing out the door.

  
“I’ll see you at varsity tryouts?” Chuck calls over his shoulder.

  
_Shit, I almost forgot._ “Yeah! Definitely, see you then.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archie has bio as his next class after lunch. And it’s the only one he shares with Jughead Jones, whom he’s been friends with ever since freshman year. At first, Archie was unsure about him, as no one at this school really does well with _outsiders_. That’s the word they used. Translation, students who aren’t backed up by their parents’ cushy safety net of cash in life. But the two had stricken up a conversation one day in the lunch room, found that they actually have a lot in common, and the rest is history.

  
“How’s your first day going?” Jughead asks, as their shoulders brush in the hallway of students bustling to the class they need to be at. “I know I’ve missed Foxcroft’s state of the art facilities. You know; hot water, a bed with a real mattress.”

  
Archie rolls his eyes and gives a grin. “Well, I haven’t done much but stay in. How’s that story you’re writing going?”

  
“Not good” Jughead scoffs, his arms crossed. “It’s like the wheels of inspiration stopped spinning and right now I could use a good muse. The only stories I’ve been hearing all day are of the new raven haired girl”

  
It’s then that both boys are distracted by the presence of other students making lots of noise down the hallway. Archie looks up into the sea of navy blue blazers and pale grey lockers, spotting Reggie Mantle and Moose Mason’s heads above everyone else. They’re taller than almost everyone else and it’s hardly the only reason everyone turns when they walk in a room. Reggie catches Archie’s eye and shouts over to him, shoving some kids out of the way to reach him.

  
“Oh great. It’s the rich kids from the goonies” Jughead mutters quietly, his scowl darkening.

  
Archie looks quickly between the two friends of his, on opposite ends of the totem pole, but is overtaken by Reggie slamming the locker next to him as he approaches. “Bro, you are _ready_ to make first line in Varsity. I’m not kidding dude you got ripped. Look at this arm, it’s diesel! How much you benching, like 220? 225? You gotta give me some tips man.”

  
“Okay then” Jughead observers the interaction and decides his talk with Archie is over, kicking off on his tattered old shoes. “See you in class Arch”

  
“Yeah I will!” Archie looks back, the smile on his face at Reggie’s cartoonish enthusiasm about some things wearing off as he sees his other friend leave.

  
“Woah- not so fast there Wednesday Adams!” Reggie reaches out and pulls Jughead back by the collar of his shirt singlehandedly, laughing when a noise of surprise escapes him. “You still wearing this damn thing huh” in one swift motion Reggie has the beanie, the crown shaped one, off his head and tossed to the hallway floor.

  
Archie’s jaw drops open and Jughead looks almost furious. But he’s held in a death grip and seeing as one of Reggie’s punches could probably take him out completely, it’s the best decision to stay put.

  
“You still being a damn idiot?” Jughead spits back, not one to stay defencelessness, even if it is verbally.

  
The features on Reggie’s strong face twitch for a second and Archie pushes him off immediately. The first day of school does not have to involve a classist case of bullying, Archie makes sure of it. “Dude just leave him alone, okay?” The red head says, louder so that Reggie knows he’s serious. “Come _on_ , lets go to class”

  
Archie picks up Jughead’s fallen books while he reaches for his hat and stuffs it inside his bag, making sure that Reggie is turning back around with an _unbelievable_ muttered under his breath before they start heading to the bio lab.

  
“Should’ve learned my lesson and not worn it. As if last year wasn’t traumatising enough” Jughead tries and explains himself, taking his books back from Archie.

  
“Hey it only got really bad that one time, and Betty sewed it back up after anyways.”

  
He watches Jughead let out a huff when he hears her name. Their eyes don’t meet but he’s never had a hard time understanding people, reading them, especially his friends. “He’s just a dick. And a tremendous idiot too.”

  
“Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact that he and Betty are.. you know, hooking up?” Archie asks, his voice quiet and careful as they turn to enter the lab.

  
But Jughead stops and looks at him unbelievingly. “What would that have to do with anything? Why do I care who she’s involved with?”

  
“I’m just saying! That would be something that two people like you guys.. who have- gone through what you guys have gone through- might care about?”

  
Archie earns a look from his friend like he’s being ridiculous, and maybe he is, but he chuckles and lets the subject slide for now. Jughead will realise how he feels about Betty soon enough. You always do. When you’re in love, the realisation might not come right away but it will come at the perfect time. At least, that’s what Archie thinks.

 

 

 

 

 

x:x

 

 

 

 

 

“So” Betty whispers as soon as they’ve been given the go ahead to start their equations. She turns around in her seat and looks at Veronica excitedly. “Have you decided what extra curriculars you’re gonna do yet?”

  
Veronica sighs. Her head hurts and she’s pretty sure she’s never felt this tired. Her parents didn’t even let her spend one night in a hotel before heading straight to the school. She’s exhausted, to say the least. “I really haven’t thought about it”

  
Betty’s face lights up, and on her other side Cheryl grins and leans over too. “Veronica, you _have_ to try out for the field hockey team. It’s a must!”

  
“ _Shhh_!” The sharp noise of Mrs Hale’s disapproval at them surprises all three and Betty and Cheryl turn back in their seats. Not for long though.

  
“I’m on the team, Cheryl is, why won’t you try out?” Betty makes the most of her pleading green eyes.

  
Veronica makes a face. “Fine, I’ll consider it! I played field hockey sometimes with my dad’s friends’ daughters back at one of our country clubs.”

  
“Awesome!” Betty cheers, and Cheryl looks ecstatic too. “You would look so hot in the skirt we wear”

  
Veronica turns to the ginger with her eyebrows raised, the conversation halting to a pause for one moment. Cheryl looks innocent and Betty cocks her head questioningly at her cousin too, expecting an explanation which she doesn’t give.

  
“What?” Cheryl rolls her eyes flippantly. “Just saying”

  
Betty bursts into giggles that’s adorable and contagious so much so that the other two can’t tell her to zip it because they’re laughing too, trying and failing to conceal it by looking down at their books.

  
“If the three of you don’t start doing some math I’d gladly have you make it up this evening in detention” Mrs Hale says dryly from behind Veronica’s shoulder. She taps her blank notebook page with a wooden ruler, something that makes Veronica irked and move away slightly. “I suggest you ladies spend less time giggling and more time on your equations”

  
Around them the class laughs, and Veronica rolls her eyes. Betty goes red and immediately turns back around to work on the assignment, letting the laughter die until they leave class.

 

 

 

 

 

  
x:x

 

 

 

 

 

  
It’s one in the afternoon and time for physical education. Archie takes his time stretching out, wringing his swimsuit before getting into it. The locker room smells of soap suds and sweat and testosterone, each boy disappearing to shower before trailing off into the indoor swimming pool. He’s watching his reflection as the clock ticks by and he’s sent into a memory. This summer, Cape May at his parents’ beach home, and the last time he went swimming. It was bright then, the sun kissing their skin. Betty and Jughead had followed him up to his parents’ holiday home for a whole week and it was possibly the best time that entire two months. They swam all day and watched old childhood movies on the big screen tv, constantly sipping on some type of concoction and nibbling icey cones of every flavour. They would spend every night playing around on the rooftop, watching the stars, _attempting_ to play snooker, and talking endlessly.

  
Sometimes when Betty and Jughead would climb out of the pool to lay in the shade and read together, Archie swam alone, watching the waves crash on the shore, a feeling of beginning to an end. That week was over as soon as it started, and soon, Archie knew why his parents even agreed to let three teenagers stay at a Cape May beach house together.

  
It was the separation. The fights, the missing nights, the empty house he was beginning to feel sad in so Mary and Fred had to send him out otherwise Archie might’ve not had any kind of summer experience at all.

  
_so mom’s just gone, then?_ Archie gaped at the office where his mother once worked, the family portrait she adored from when he was little, the pottery and stylish sculptures all gone. They spent the whole week moving her stuff.

  
_she has a place upstate, son_. Fred has said, as if that made things any better. Honestly, Archie doesn’t think he knows how their situation could’ve gotten better- but this certainly wasn’t it at all. _she asked you to come over for dinner tonight._

 

“Archie” the soft voice behind him calls. Archie looks up in the reflection and sees Moose standing there. “You okay?”

  
He clears up his throat. “Yeah. What about you?”

  
“Fine” Moose reaches into his locker to get his forgotten swim cap and avoids Archie’s eyes, voice laced with its lie. “Midge and I had a good summer. My parents had another opening in LA and we uh, we went together. It was fun.”

  
He squints his eyes, hands tight on the sink behind him as he leans on it. Last year didn’t end well when somebody had spread an inkling rumour that Moose Mason, star athlete and resident-relationship-guy _made out_ with Kevin Keller in the school’s chapel, of all places. It was only a rumour, a distant one, but any talk is talk here and with a circle small enough the word could get back to Moose’s parents. He had confided in Archie one night, the last Wednesday before summer. Drunk off his ass and tears into the beer bottle, sobbing something incoherent and all Archie could do was let him sleep and sympathise the next morning.

  
“So you’re back to pretending then?” Archie asked. When there’s no reply, just a twitch in his lips Archie furrows his brows and speaks again. “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

  
“Dude you know my dad would do the worst if he knew- if he knew that I was..”

  
“You still haven’t talked about that night. And- it’s completely up to you, but I guess I spent all summer worrying if you were miserable and maybe if you’d finally told them.”

  
“Of course not” The tone in his voice signalises that the statement is final, and seemingly would be forever.

  
“Well..” Archie takes a step and tries to find his words so that he doesn’t step on them. He knows how hard it’s been for his friend, and that maybe _he_ hasn’t even acknowledged it. All he wants is to be there for him. “You know that you being into guys, anyone, it wouldn’t matter to us right?” He sighs slowly when Moose doesn’t look convinced, still a flicker of fear behind those big brown eyes. “You’re Moose dating Midge now, and you could be Moose dating anyone else- we love Moose.”

  
Moose takes Archie’s assurance and gives the smallest of nods, a worrying gulp and distress written all over his face. Archie smiles at him warmly one last time before leaving the locker room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the full length pool Archie takes long, steady strides through every lap and it feels nice to have the water constraining against his muscles and challenging it slightly. A good kind of warm up, since he has varsity lacrosse tryouts in about forty five minutes. The prospect of a new game season just hasn’t sunk in yet, he’s not in the right head space to be competitive and sharp and spend hours in the gym before dawn and more hours on the field at evening practice. He’s still stuck in a sleepless summer night and dusky pink skies.

  
At the same time though, Archie feels like he has tension just shivering under his skin ready to erupt any second and that part of him- the part that’s been cooped up for almost a whole month, feels excited to run and feel his heart thudding wildly behind his chest on the field.

  
He finally pushes himself out of the pool and eyes the intimidated freshmen that were watching him swim, shaking his wet hair and wringing it with a dry towel.

 

 

 

  
Back in the locker room everyone seems to have taken off fast enough, the crowd of Reggie and Chuck probably swept away to kick around on the field early before tryouts. It’s why he finds Jughead there, inspecting himself in the same mirror Archie stood at before. His half dry hair curly and drooping over his blue eyes.

  
“Dude-“ his eyes bug out of his head and he’s frozen on the spot seeing that gnarly black and blue covering his friend’s torso. “How the fuck did you get that?”

  
Jughead spins around and tries uselessly to cover the burning bruise but it’s louder than any words unspoken in the room. He chuckles a nervous laugh, covering. “Archie. Probably took a fall somewhere too hard”

  
Archie smiles a little, but he isn’t fooled. “No, seriously Jughead what happened?”

  
A long pause, his arms dropping to the side. And then, “My dad. But it’s just temporary.. don’t worry”

  
“Temporary?” Archie repeats. “How and when did he do this?”

  
“Look man lower your voice” Jughead says, frustratedly grabbing a shirt to cover the bruise. He guides Archie by the shoulder to a bench, sighing deeply. “He was drunk. I was there.”

  
_Of course_. Maybe it started as a coping mechanism, like it does for a lot of people, but Archie also knows how fast that can escalate. Of course, it’s the poison that people put in their bodies and he hates every part of it.

  
“Well-“ he casts his eyes between the floor and Jughead’s face and something inside him is hurting and breaking. “Screw him. You should stay with me during breaks.”

  
Archie glances down at his watch, one of his grandfather’s vintage Rolexes, and sees tryouts have already started by fifteen minutes. He shouldn’t have spent as much time in the pool as he did.

  
“Look, it’s not that easy Archie.” He sighs, rubbing his eyes frustratedly. “But.. I guess that’s why I would rather stay in this place. As much as it _sucks_ sometimes and as many assholes that walk through here, it’s still better than living at home and going to another school. Just- don’t tell anyone about it, okay? Especially not Betty.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

x:x

 

 

 

 

 

  
It’s grey outside and everyone feels significantly underdressed in their thin workout gear. The school field is definitely big enough to accommodate probably two whole football games, but since one half is under maintenance for the time being, both UCA’s field hockey team and Foxcroft’s winning lacrosse varsity tryouts are on opposite ends of the other half of the field.

  
Veronica has her arms crossed as she walks next to Betty, wind blowing in their hair. “So, how intense exactly are you guys? Is this a sport you take seriously?”

  
“Very” Betty replies, her eyes wide and serious.

  
“Great. You could’ve told me that before I put my name on the list and will end up completely humiliating myself in front of pre pros, Betty”

  
Her arm shoots out to touch Veronica’s, reassuring her. “Relax, it’s not that serious. We have won championships, but trust me no one is a pre pro here.”

  
“Says the girl that’s gunning for varsity captain” Cheryl announces, walking up next to both of them. She has her rich red hair tied back into a ponytail and made the unnecessary move to wear a choker under her high collar Ralph Lauren t shirt.

  
Veronica turns to the blonde with raised eyebrows of disbelief, but she only shakes her head before sitting down to stretch. Veronica and Cheryl do the same. “Only because my mom wants me to. My sister used to be the captain, so it’s kind of a family thing. I’m not even that good.”

  
Veronica isn’t exactly nervous. If she makes the team, it’ll shut Covington up and maybe distract her enough. And if she doesn’t, she’s not losing anything either. Back in Spence cheerleading was something she enjoyed because she was good at it, she liked bettering herself and always working towards a new goal for herself. But it also served as some reputation boost, which she doesn’t really care about now. In Spence she was a kid wanting to fit in and complete that perfect lie everyone believed about her, now she could care less what anyone thinks. She has enough reputation, she doesn’t need to be climbing social ladders anymore. Being back on the field makes her a little reminiscent though, and a part of her wonders how anyone would react if she did a tumble run right now.

 

“Okay everybody listen up!” A young woman wearing cut off shorts, caramel hair, kind eyes, Veronica assumes is Coach Clavell from the tryout sheet approaches the crowd of girls. “It’s time to get this started... today I’m going to see how you handle _basic_ stick skills first. You know, passing, pushes pulls and hits. So everyone get in a line here and be prepared for your turn.”

 

Betty’s right, and the tryout isn’t taken lightly. Coach Clavell cuts about half the girls who can’t even hold their stick right, which Sheila whispers are all wannabes who are trying to climb the social ladder. Veronica had basically zero preparation right before this, but she manages to stay in past the first stage.

  
The second section is just as brutal, when Coach Clavell breaks those of them left into pairs to test how good their passes are. Two thirds of the remaining girls don’t make it through that cut.

  
“Not too bad, cheerleader” Betty whispers to her, bumping their shoulders together. “You made it to the end, you might even get on the team. I think Clavell likes you.”

  
“Gotta thank my dad for years of forced games, huh? Guess they payed off.” She pants back, effectively exhausted by now.

  
They patter off as tryouts almost end, now Coach is asking the remaining girls to score as many goals as they can and see who could have a shot at which position. Veronica swings her head back as she takes a gulp of water.

  
“I think you’re just good at anything you try” Betty says honestly. It’s only then that Veronica notices the group of them are sitting well within sight of the lacrosse players tryouts. She does some stretches, while noticing out of the corner of her eye that the boys are watching them too.. well watching _her_.

  
She can’t stop the grin that covers her mouth at their gawking faces, so she stands up and bends over, putting her hands flat on the floor in a stretch that makes her skirt ride up significantly.

 

The minute Betty asks what she’s doing is when they hear laughter and whistles coming from the lacrosse players and Veronica stands up, turning back around to grin playfully at them.

 

“ _Oh my god_!” The girls erupt into laughter and some of them clapped too, encouragingly. “Veronica, Chuck Clayton is totally looking at you” one of the nameless other students tells her. “And he’s up next.”

  
“What do I care?” Veronica sighs, looking down to inspect her manicure. She missed having the oxblood colour but this school won’t allow anything more than a basic french manicure.

  
She’s feeling a lot exhausted, and the sweat and dirt on the field is starting to stick to her skin. She doesn’t share the same interest with the other girls to watch boys score goals and brag about it anyway, so she decides it’s time to leave.

  
“I’m gonna go and clean up, Blondie. I’ll see you guys in the room.” She waves off with a tight smile, wiping the back of her hands on her skirt.

  
Their faces fall visibly. “Sure, we’ll see you later. Don’t get lost!” Betty nods.

  
“I’ll try.” Veronica shrugs into one of the hoodies she brought and leaves the scene. Finally, she’s going to get alone time. It feels like forever and she kind of wants to scream after the crazy day; crazy summer, she’s had. So she’s relieved when she’s back in the empty halls with colourful glass paintings as walls that remind her of Sunday church, and the bursting comfort she gets from flopping down on this bed that’s supposedly hers with most of her clothes laid out on it from earlier.

 

 

About five minutes later Archie Andrews shows up, his helmet in hand, panting like he’s been running all the way from the locker room. “Hey guys. Sorry I’m late- what’d I miss?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x:x

 

 

 

 

 

 

The entire Foxcroft and Upper Columbia Academy student body has a combined dinner every night in the grand dining hall, which is apparently a big deal as a big deal can get. Everyone wears their night uniforms and sometimes there’s speeches, especially since it’s the first dawn of school semester.

  
Veronica showers before the dinner, going through the tedious process of taking her long day’s reapplied makeup off, keeping away all the jewellery and her headband, and tossing the itchy uniform in a waste basket, then standing under the faucet to wash and condition her hair. It feels like ecstasy, feeling the grime of the trip to Washington wash away, leaving her all fresh and clean smelling.

  
As she steps out of the shower though, she catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. It’s the first time seeing herself this naked since what happened. Back then her body wasn’t too different, but it did feel unlike herself. Now she drops the towel and stares at herself, what’s left there.

  
She’s lost about twenty pounds since then, and it looks good. It looks like her old self.

  
But it doesn’t feel the same.

 

Looking at her, no one would know what’s happened. Just a teenage girl, the prettiest, richest, most perfect one in the room. And anyone else is just lucky to even try and measure up. She leans harder against the mirror, feeling her forehead against the glass and watching as the little scar on her lower belly meets its reflection, and she closes her eyes wishing she could disappear.

  
She doesn’t even let her mind go to the other scars they’ve left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
About an hour later everyone’s dressed and she walks with Betty, Toni and Sheila to the grand dining hall. They wander around the hallways and linger in some rooms just to chit chat and waste time. Veronica feels like she needs to clear her mind. She’s thinking about everyone back home, all the problems and people she just left behind and what they must be thinking.

  
The four girls enter the dining hall and also the door that leads to the orchestra room, Betty says again that the choir often plays when they have special occasions and such. For a moment Veronica lingers on the door, remembering what Covington said. After thinking about it though, she grabs the doorknob and opens it slowly, telling the other girls she’ll look for them in the tables. The room is clean and everything is organised to perfection, it’s like a kaleidoscope of memories and emotions surge through the instruments into her soul if they could tell a story of all the songs of tragedy.

  
She sees the grand piano. And she can picture her mother getting her ready for a piano recital, wearing the silky white robe, pure and holy, smelling like Chanel and seeing diamonds on a Sunday morning. She can see her father sitting at the head of the breakfast table reading the morning newspaper with those glasses she thought were so funny on him as a kid. She can see her seven-year-old self knocking on their door when she was terrified of the thunder, they would let her fall asleep between them and nothing could hurt her. She was safe.

  
Her fingers touch the shining cover and she could feel tears threatening to start running down her cheeks. She lifts the cover and only lightly, caresses the keys. She’s holding it so cautiously like it’s the most fragile thing in the world. But then she realises that it is. It’s something her and her mother shared. Something her father would sit and have conversations about, congratulate her, kiss her on the forehead. As stupid and naive as it is, she still wants that.

  
She blinks a few times to make the blurry visions go away and remembers all the times she was playing. All these emotions which could never be described. Maybe it was like flying. Maybe it was like traveling to somewhere only she knew. In any case, it felt different than a lot of her life had. When she was playing she was never alone but at the same time she was. When listening to all the wonderful sounds she could forget all her troubles and fears. She put her heart into every song she played, while goosebumps appeared on her skin.

  
That’s when Veronica made the decision. She’s going to start playing again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

x:x

 

 

 

 

 

  
A beautiful sound, one Archie hadn’t heard in a long time, flooded through the dining hall. This sound was delicate sleigh bells and wind chimes mixed into one magical combination. Archie can feel the sadness of the music though, seep into his body and spread through his veins. The song is one he’s familiar with and draws his curiosity more and more. He slowly heads in the direction of the orchestra room door, somehow afraid that one wrong step would make the music disappear forever.

  
As soon as he can even reach for the door, Archie feels someone’s hand on his left shoulder.

  
“Come on dude we’re waiting for you!” Reggie tells him, a blissful smile on his face.

  
He wants to go back and glances at the door, but then he’s being led to their table. Betty, Cheryl, Chuck and some other kids already seated, and the feast tonight smells delicious since he hasn’t had a proper meal all day.

  
“Hey Arch, oh that seat’s actually for Veronica-“ Betty stops short when Reggie all but shoves Archie into the last seat that was supposed to be reserved for Veronica, and Archie shrugging unknowingly.

  
“Don’t worry B- she’ll sit with us!” Sheila calls from the other table over, waving excitedly.

  
Archie raises his eyebrows. “Yeah hey. So.. Chuck said you had something to talk to me about?”

  
Betty laughs and flicks her ponytail back, knowing with a pleased little thump in her heart that Reggie is next to Archie and he’s watching her. “Nothing important. Just wanted to know how your song’s going. You are still gonna perform at homecoming right?”

  
“Of course” Archie snorts “If I can finish it on time. It’s.. oh whatever, tryouts.. how’d you do? Think you’re making varsity?”

  
“Well I better hope to god I do, I don’t want momma Cooper ringing my ear off about it!” Betty rolls her eyes as everyone laughs, and then they dive into the meal discussing who’s going to make each team and how the first day has been.

 

 

 

 

 

  
x:x

 

 

 

 

 

Warden Jack comes into the boys room right before bedtime, finding Archie and Chuck already ready and reading in their beds. He grunts like he expects them to be in trouble and warns them again what will happen if they sneak out, even though they’ve heard it like a hundred times.

  
The old man hesitates before closing the door. “Well goodnight to you two then. Remember you know where I am..”

  
Archie nods, the blankets up to his nose trying not to smile. “We do.”

 

  
He doesn’t sleep though. The room is only half dark with the field lights streaming in, his ears straining to hear any sound of Jack outside. He listens as Chuck shifts in his bed and then he puts a pillow on his head to block the light. He hears light footsteps as someone next door opens a door and the sound of water running in the bathroom. By then Archie eventually puts the covers down and reaches for his guitar. It’s too bright, and the worry of not finishing this song is itching as his mind whirls with thoughts that won’t rest.

  
Finally he’s sure Jack is asleep in his own room, and Archie slides out of bed and softly pads out into the hall and down the stairwell. Their lounge is lit by the flickering light someone has left on, but the room seems deserted and Archie slips past it until he’s outside. He finds himself walking until he’s exactly at the spot he needs, the fountain that’s centre of the campus. It’s quite far from his building but the sound of water has always calmed him, somehow making it seem like he’s back at the beach house and things were still on the verge of imploding.

  
Time moves slowly too, trickling on. He doesn’t know what time it is anymore. It’s only measured by the way it gets colder under his sweatshirt as the night grows darker, and his fingers grow tired from strumming.

  
Archie can feel that same frustration in his chest, because he can’t get it _right_ , the right line, the right tune, he wants something that’s special and different from the other songs he wrote. He really thought coming out here would help, and it is, the fountain calming him down as he sits fidgeting, but the inspiration still just isn’t _there_. He squeezes his eyes shut then. Prays to the gods above that when he opens them a miracle will happen and something will come along and be exactly what he’s searching for. It feels like forever in those matter of seconds, and then he finally opens his eyes. And there’s a girl there.

 

“That was really good” she says. Archie feels like a disaster about to happen because his mouth practically drops, he’s never seen anyone so beautiful in all his life.

  
_She looks like an angel,_ is his first thought. She’s standing across the fountain, gently backlit in a way that made it look like she’s shining, her dark hair making a halo around her face and swishing down her back beautifully. She has on a bizarre lace and silk slip that whatever it is, clings to her body and shows off her curves to perfection. She turns her head slightly and laughs as Archie stares, the sound of her laugh as perfect as the rest of her.

  
“Oh um.. yeah. Thank you. It’s really not.”

  
“It sure was” Veronica murmurs, and his eyes catch hers. “The little part I heard. Are you a musician?”

  
“No” he half chuckles, adding uselessly. “Just a guy”

  
She looks a little amused, and also curious, taking a wary step close so that the space between them lessens. “So who’s it for? The song”

  
Archie looks at her sharply, but she’s completely serious and a part of him wonders if she’s real. “Well it’s not about anyone in particular. Just people- and life.”

  
“Well whoever it is must be lucky” she points out, looking around at the view of campus and she sighs. Suddenly Archie feels so much more interested than he has all day. “I can’t really sleep. Something about the air here.”

  
He laughs lightly. “Yeah, this place can do that to you. We’ve all had a number of sleepless nights.”

  
The air is still between them, water running, eyes searching. She takes another small step and eventually is standing close enough to be held if he reached, but still too far away. “So tell me, what is your song about? Seriously”

  
“It’s more about the things that people do. The mistakes.. the mess ups, all things they still do even though.. even though it ruins everything around them.”

  
“Which is what?” Veronica looks at Archie from the corner of his eye, and then shivers, the frost catching up to her. “People don’t make ‘mistakes’ on purpose. That’s what makes them mistakes.”

  
He supposes she’s right, even though this stranger has absolutely no clue what he’s talking about. It’s then that Archie notices the small delicate pearls that rest in the hallow of her throat, the stunning dark eyes that are deep enough to drown in, he realises how rare it is for two student to not know each other in this small school. Which means she must be new. Definitely not a freshman, he’s sure, and that’s when all the ignored talk and mentions of _new girl_ clicks in his mind. _It’s her. It’s her, Veronica Lodge._

  
“My name’s Archie. Andrews. You must be Veronica, the new transfer student from Spence School. You’re rooming with my friend Betty.. aren’t you Hiram Lodge’s daughter, and like a big socialite in New York?”

  
Archie can see the smirk in her lips twitch which makes him realise he just totally ran his mouth. “No” Veronica replies, turning her back to him. She smiles over her shoulder and starts walking back, presumably to her dorm. “Just a girl.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed, remember to leave your thoughts on what happened.. and what your theory is on what happened to veronica? I’m really interested to know. 
> 
> pls feel free to come and interact with me on tumblr too, @ff16xo . ❤️ I love answering any questions  
> ‘till next time

**Author's Note:**

> i know we haven’t met archie yet! but we will next chapter, and i guess i should tell you guys a few things about this story. I should probably also mention that this story won’t be a slowburn, but there will be some mutual pining.. 
> 
> till next time :)


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